Rail-clip for measuring-tapes.



F. T. MORSE. RAIL CLIP FOR MEASURING TAPES. APPLICATION FILED DEC-6. 1916.

Patented June 18, 1918.

@lih FREDJEIRTC T. MORSE, 0F MARQELINE, MISSOURI.

RAIL-GL1]? FOR MEASURING-TAPES.

Application filed December 6, 1916. Serial No. 135, l38.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, FREDERIO TjMonsn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Marcelino, in the county of Linn and State of Missouri, have invented new and useful Improvements in Rail-Clips for Measuring- Tapes, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to clips for securin measuring tapes to the ball of railroa tracks, and so forth.

Heretofore civil engineers when making measurements of the beds and ballasting of railroad tracks have, in manyv of the operations, required one man to hold the'end of the tape on the ball of the rail while another measured the distance therefrom of a certain point, and if short measurements had to be made parallel'to the tracks, two men were as a rule necessary.

The object of my invention is'to enable one man to take both transverse and longitudinal measurements, and particularly in connection with railroad tracks, and enabled to do this accurately and expeditiously unaided by comparatively simple means, sub stantially as hereinafter fully described, and as particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings:

Figural is a plan view of my invention.

Fig. 2 1s a side view thereof applied to a rail, which latter is shown in section.

' Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of the same, taken on dotted line 33, Fig. 1.

Fig. ,4 is a perspective view illustrating the manner of its use.

My improved tape-clip consists, preferably, of a continuous stretch of wire which is bent to provide two correspondingly shaped parallel side-frames and cross-bars connecting the ends of the same. These sideframes are provided with straight horizon tal bearers a, a, whichwhen the clip is fastened to the track rail A rest upon the tread thereof. At one end of these bearers said frames are bent perpendicularly downward a distance sufliciently below the ball of the rail to form abutting members I), I), that are adapted to bear against the outer side of the ball of the rail and have their lower ends connected by the cross-bar 0.

The ends of bearers 0; of the side-frames opposite the abutting members are first bent upward to form loops or eyes (1, d; then perpendicularly downward a distance corresponding to the thicmess of the balll of the rail, and then are bent inward and downward toward the vertical web of the rail to form clamping members 6, 0. These clamping members are adapted to engage the un der side of the inner portion of the ball of the rail' and securely clamp the clip to the same, and their lower ends are, preferably, bent downward slightly and connected by a cross-bar f.

The bearer portions (1, a, of the clip are connected and spaced apart by a sheet metal plate 18 whose longitudinal edges are rolled upward around said bearers, and at about its center of length this plate is provided with upwardly projecting lugs C, C, next the inner side of the bearers, and a transverse eccentric boss D is suitably journaled in these lugs in such manner that when engaging the tape, as will hereinafter be more fully explained, its major axis is below the rotative axis thereof. This boss has a handle E extending from about the center of length thereof toward the vertical plane of the clamping members of the clip by means of which said eccentric boss can be rotatively moved. If desired, however, this handle might extend from said boss in the opposite direction.

Plate B isprovided with two transverse openings 9 and h on either side of boss D through which the tape is adapted to be threaded when the clip is being used.

In operation, after the clip has been secured to the ball of the track rail, in the manner hereinbefore explained,'the end of the measuring-tape, which it is desired to secure to said rail, is threaded under the end of plate B nearest the abutting members, and then up through opening 9 and under eccentric boss D, which has been previously moved so as to permit this to be done,and then is threaded down through opening 9' under the end of said plate B nearest the clamping members. Handle E is then depressed so that the boss will clamp the tape between it and the plate, whereupon said tape can be pulled and drawn taut to any distant point desired, and the distance from said point to the inner side of the rail accurately ascertained.

en the measurements are to be-made in the direction of the length of the track, or between points where it would be impossible to use the clip on the ball of the rail, the clip is turned edgewise to the position it oocupieswhen used on the rail, and

an ordinary surveyors pin is thrust down through eyes (Z, d, into the ground or other support at the point from which it is desired to measure, and then the tape is drawn to the opposite point of the measurement and the distance between the two points accurately ascertained/ The inner diameters of the eyes are, preferably. little less than. the diameter of the surveying pins, and thus, when said pins are I thrust through them they grasp saidpins so tightly that they will not slip on the same. These eyes also provide a certain amount of elasticity to the clamping members and enable the latter to be easily adjusted upon the rail and to clamp the nil. I

I do not desire to be confined to the exact construction of the clip and the tape clamping elements used in conjunction therewith as hereinbefore described and as illustrated in the drawings-as it is evident that openings 9 and h in plate B, and eyes 03, (Z, could be dispensed with, and it is also evident that the clip, instead of being constructed of a continuouspiece of wire, could be made of other kind of metal members that would answer the same purpose.

What I claim as new is: v

1. The combination with a tape measure, of a clip comprising a device to which .a measurin -tape can be removably fastened,

and means for securing the sameto the ball of a track-raiL.

2. The combination with a tape measure, of acl'ip comprising bearers adapted to rest on the tread of a track rail and having the ends thereof bent downward to embrace. the

sides: of the ball ,of said rail, and a device supported by said bearers by which a tape measure can'be removablysecured thereto.

3. The combination with a tape-measure,-

of .a clip comprising transverse bearers adapted .to rest upon the tread of a track:

rail having one. end thereof bentdownward and the lower portion of said downwardly Gepiesmf this patent-may be obtained for measure can be removably secured to said bearers.

4:. A measuring-tape clip comprising transverse bearers which at one end are provided with integral loops or eyes, and a device supported by said bearers by means 'of which a tape measure can be removably secured thereto.

A measuring-tape clip comprising transverse bearers which at one end are provided with integral loops or eyes, and from thence extend downward to form clamping members and which at the opposite ends thereof are bent downward to form abutting members between which and said clamping members the ball of atrack rail is adapted to be clasped, and a device by means of which a tape measure can be removably secured to said bearers.

6. A measuring-tape clip comprising bearers adapted to be removably secured to the ball of a track rail, a flat plate connecting said bearers and an 'eccentrically journaled boss mounted thereon which is adapted to clamp a measuring-tape between the same and said plate.

7. The combination with a tape measure, of a clip comprising a plate, an eccentrically journaled boss mounted thereon between. which and said plate a measuringtape can be removably secured, and means that support said plate and are adapted to removably secure the same to the ball of a track rail.

8. A measuring-tape clip comprising a plate, an eccentrically journaled boss mounted thereon between which and said plate a measuring-tape can be removably secured, and means for clamping said plate -to a suitable support which are provided with eyes at one end.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 2% day of November, 1916.

FREDERIC T. MORSE.

Witnesses: H. A. GRIDLEY,

GEO. W. GODLORZ.

five cents each, my addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0; 

